Abstract
The interaction of waves and ice is of significant relevance for engineers, oceanographers and climate scientists. In-situ measurements are costly and bear uncertainties due to unknown boundary conditions. Therefore, physical laboratory experiments in ice tanks are an important alternative to validate theories or investigate particular effects of interest. Ice tanks use model ice which has down-scaled sea ice properties. This model ice in ice tanks holds disadvantages due to its low stiffness and non-linear behavior which is not in scale to sea ice, but is of particular relevance in wave-ice interactions. With decreasing stiffness steeper waves are required to reach critical stresses for ice breaking, while the non-linear, respectively non-elastic, deformation behavior is associated with high wave damping. Both are scale effects and do not allow the direct transfer of model scale test results to scenarios with sea ice. Therefore, the alternative modeling approach of Model Ice of Virtual Equivalent Thickness (MIVET) is introduced. Its performance is tested in physical experiments and compared to conventional model ice. The results show that the excessive damping of conventional model ice can be reduced successfully, while the scaling of the wave induced ice break-up still requires research and testing. In conclusion, the results obtained are considered a proof of concept of MIVET for wave-ice interaction problems.
Highlights
The experiments consisted of two series, whereas series 1000 (S1000) used conventional model ice [19] and series 2000 (S2000) a model ice that is close towards the proposed modeling approach
On the basis of ice physics and the relationships between mechanical properties the elastic modulus is increased with an increase of the flexural strength
The target is to scale the critical bending moment at which failure occurs by increasing the flexural strength while decreasing the thickness. This method allows the reduction of the strong damping in solid level ice which is considered a scale effect of conventional model ice
Summary
Wu. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The interaction of waves and ice is of significance for the forecast of wave propagation through ice and its possible break-up. Better insights on wave-ice interaction serves oceanographers and climate scientists to increase the predictability of changes in the sea ice coverage and related effects [1,2]. Safe operations of shipping traffic and fixed structures require reliable prediction of the oceanic conditions and especially the ice conditions as well as the combination of waves and ice [3]. The ice induced attenuation of wave amplitude and wave energy plays a role in coastal protection and near shore sediment transport [4]
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